It is frequently desirable to dim one or more table lamps within a room from a single location, such as the table beside a bed. In the past, various dimming arrangements have been provided, including a user-operated rheostat, from which the lamps to be dimmed are powered. While this provides convenient dimming of the lamps from bedside, it has the drawback of requiring power cables connecting each lamp to the rheostat, and the further disadvantage of not allowing control of the lamps from the wall switch. Consequently, there is no way to extinguish the lamps conveniently while leaving the room, nor is there any convenient way to power-up the lamps upon entering the room.
The present invention provides a system wherein multiple lamps can be dimmed from the bedside location without the need of wires running to each lamp from the controller, and enables the lamps to be switched on or off in a conventional manner by the wall switch.